From Bedlam to Brilliance – Multi-tasking is NOT What it’s Cracked Up to Be

Five (5) Tips to Help you NOT Multi-task

There have been so many articles written lately about not being able to multi-task. The biggest reason is because when we do too many things at once, nothing or very little gets done the right way. I admit – if I am talking to a friend on the phone, I will also fold laundry or put the dishes in the dishwasher. But, am I really listening to what my friend is saying?

Several weeks ago, I went to visit my father and brought a friend with me. He and I had taken a walk, and I needed to borrow $10 from him to buy something for my father at a local drugstore. When we got back to the house, I took my wallet out of my pocketbook to pay him back. As we were getting ready to leave, I was trying to do too many things at once and guess what, I forgot to put my wallet back in my pocketbook. I didn’t realize it until I got home, which was 2 hours later. I didn’t want my wallet mailed to me, so I drove back up the NJ Turnpike the next morning to get it. I did get to see my father again, which of course was a benefit, but because I was doing too many things at one time, something very important got missed.

As I was driving, I was thinking about how this relates to de-cluttering and organizing. I hear from many of my clients when they start to de-clutter, they find something in the room they are working in that belongs in another room. They leave that room to put the item away, but then they see something else that belongs in a 3rd room. They repeat this cycle throughout the day. They’ve wandered around their houses all day long and what’s the end result – nothing. Nothing got de-cluttered or organized.

Here are 5 tips to keep you from multi-tasking while you are organizing:

Figure out which room, or area in that particular room, you want to de-clutter.

Label bags and/or boxes for keep, trash, recycle, and shred.

Establish a certain amount of time to spend in the area. Set a timer if that will help. Once the time is up, keep going if you are still motivated or schedule another time on your calendar to continue.

Stay in that area until it’s been de-cluttered. If you find something that needs to go somewhere else, put it outside the room. When your organizing session has ended, you will see it. This is a good reminder to put the item back where it belongs.

Keep the labelled bags and/or boxes in the area if they aren’t full. When they are full, dispose of them in their proper places.

I cannot stress it enough to stay in one area. Once you start moving from room to room, you will lose your concentration, and in the long run, less will get done. Because our goal is to get as much completed in the allotted time, the best tip I can give you is not to multi-task.

What are you going to do the next time you start to de-clutter and organize? I hope you said to yourself, “I am going to stay in one area and not multi-task”.

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